Uncertain Futures
by Darth Cody
Summary: A prelude to the Altered Destinies canon. Contains information of the Clone Wars from the eyes of several Jedi. Kaori Galium belongs to AngelBlue1852. T for possible language and violence. Cover art belongs to 10jskbuilder (Aka AngelBlue1852).
1. First Meetings

**Disclaimer: Don't own Star Wars the Clone Wars. Those rights go to Disney, Lucasfilms, and formerly George Lucas. Kaori Galium belongs to AngelBlue1852.**

 **A/N: I came up with this idea sometime while I was developing chapter 9 of Fates Rewritten. It concerned how far back Kaori's history with Anakin and Barriss goes. May contain hints at future content for Fates Rewritten, so read with care.**

* * *

She didn't know about Naboo. She didn't know that a Jedi had died there. She didn't know what had happened to Qui-Gon Jinn until after the Jedi council returned.

"Masters." She eagerly greeted. "Welcome back."

"Youngling Galium, good to see you, it is." Yoda smiled, nodding to the young girl.

As the young girl took note of the Jedi as they entered the Temple, she noticed that one Jedi in particular was missing.

"Padawan Kenobi." She said, as the young Jedi-in-training walked past her.

He turned to her and smiled. "Hello there, young one. How are your studies coming along?"

"Wonderfully," She replied. "Say, where's Master Qui-Gon?"

Obi-wan's face fell, as he lowered his head. "He's... _sigh_..." He knelt down to her level, placing his hands on her shoulders. "There was...a Sith...on Naboo. He fought me and Qui-Gon. My master...is dead."

To say Kaori was stunned by this news was an understatement. Even though she was aiming to be a Jedi, she'd always believed that venting emotions was more important than bottling them up. The tears quickly came to her face.

Obi-Wan cupped her chin with one hand. "I understand your pain, young one." He sighed. "I too, found it hard to grasp that he died. But the Sith assassin is gone now." Seeing that she was still sobbing, he asked, "Weren't you hoping to be his Padawan once I was knighted?"

She sniffled, wiping the tears from her eyes with one sleeve, nodding. "Well, at least, now he's with the Force." She murmured.

"If it's any help," came a voice from Obi-Wan's side. "I was hoping to be his Padawan, too." A young boy with sandy blond hair stepped out from behind the young man.

In response to the confused look on her face, the boy smiled and extended a hand. "I'm Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi is going to train me to be a Jedi."

She sniffled again, before slowly reaching out to shake his hand. "Nice to meet'cha, Anakin. My name is Kaori. Kaori Galium." As they shook hands, Kaori sighed. "Sorry, luvs. Guess I jus' need some time to take this all in." She looked up at Obi-Wan. "So, you're a full Jedi now? An' you got a Padawan already?"

He smiled sadly at her. "It was...Master Qui-Gon's final request...that I train Anakin. He believed that Anakin will help bring balance to the Force."

The young girl looked back to Anakin. "That mean you're the one who's goin' to save the Galaxy?" He shrugged. "Well, you're goin' to 'ave to train real hard." She chuckled. Anakin raised an eyebrow as if challenging her. "I'm sorry," She said. "Guess I need to take a moment to come to terms with th' news that Qui-Gon's dead. I'll...I'll see ya later, then." She bowed her head to Obi-Wan as she turned to leave.

 _So he's the Chosen One, eh?_ She thought. _Heh, Qui-Gon has good judgement._ She paused in her thoughts as she sighed. _I hope he at least had a peaceful death._

* * *

Later, she and the others were practicing their drills. Suddenly, one of the younglings lowered her training remote. The others followed.

"Kaori," asked the youngling. "What's wrong?"

Kaori sighed. "Guess I'm just in a bit of a fix, Barriss. I'm still tryin' to come to terms with Qui-Gon's death."

Barriss, a young Mirialan, frowned at her friend. "I suppose Master Qui-Gon's death is something worth mourning." She said.

"Not that many of the Jedi seem to care." Added another youngling. This one was Mon Cala in species.

"Nadhar!" Kaori snapped. "How can you say that? Qui-Gon was one of the wisest Jedi of this age."

"Keep in mind," Nadhar replied. "That many within the Order found his methods...unorthodox...to put it mildly. Maybe the Council doesn't seem fazed because they were bothered by how much of a maverick he was."

"Granted," Kaori argued. "He never was a very 'by-the-book' Jedi. But that didn't make him dangerous." Nadhar just shrugged. "Maybe we need more Jedi like him, not less." Kaori suggested. Then she turned to the other human youngling present. "Wha' do you think, Nazo?"

The boy in question merely folded his arms. He puffed air out of his mouth, blowing away a lose bit of dark green hair blocking his eye. "Nadhar never said anything about Qui-Gon Jinn being dangerous." He answered, in a bored voice that suggested that he didn't actually give a kriff. "However, he makes a fair point that Qui-Gon's actions were rather extreme. Not to mention, the majority of the Jedi seem to have moved on." He glanced over his shoulder, one eye glancing at Kaori. "Perhaps it would be wise for you to do the same."

Kaori sighed. Barriss walked over to her. "Hey, don't worry." She said, patting Kaori's shoulder. "True, he's no longer among us. But he lives on through the legacy he has left behind."

Kaori smiled. "Thanks, Barriss. An' you're right. It's like the Jedi way: 'There's no death, there is the Force'."

"Hmph," Nazo grunted. "The code also says that there is no Ignorance; there is only knowledge. That is a prime example of how short sighted the Jedi are."

"What are you talking about?" Barriss asked.

"No matter how much we know, there will always be so much more that we won't know. Not to mention everything we hope not to know."

Kaori blinked at the boy's bluntness. "Well..." She replied. "When you put it like that, it sounds like something Qui-Gon would say, or at least believe."

"Perhaps," Nazo replied. "Then there's the matter of Chaos. To survive, one must be able not only to survive the chaos, but thrive in it. Conquer it. Master it..." He shook himself from his thoughts. "Well, you get the picture. Stonewalling against the chaos and darkness of the galaxy will only delay its triumph."

Before the others could come up with something else to say, they sensed the approach of two new force signatures. It was Obi-Wan and Anakin.

"Hello, there, younglings." Obi-Wan greeted.

"Knight Kenobi. It's good to see you." Kaori replied, nodding respectfully. The others followed suit.

Then, she noticed the boy standing next to him. "Anakin." She said. "Good to see you 'ere."

"Hey, Kaori." The young boy said.

"Knight Kenobi, who is this?" Nadhar asked curiously.

"Ah, this is my Padawan, Anakin Skywalker." Obi-Wan replied. Barriss stepped forward.

"Greetings, Anakin. My name is Barriss Offee." She said, introducing herself.

"My name is Nadhar Vebb." Nadhar added, stepping forward and shaking hands with the newcomer.

"We've already met, o' course." Kaori said, chuckling. Then, as Anakin's gaze fell on the last one, Kaori added, "And that's Nazo Malfoy."

The aforementioned boy glanced at Anakin, who had walked over to shake his hand. Nazo rolled his eyes, clearly bored out of his ten-year-old mind. Sighing, Nazo decided to humor the boy and shake his hand. He took Anakin's hand-

-and immediately reeled back as if he had just accidentally run his hand under boiling water. He gripped his wrist, clearly confused by what happened. The others raised their eyebrows, or did the equivalent in Nadhar's case, as he remembered they were still there.

Nazo cleared his throat. "Ahem. Forgive me, Padawan Skywalker. I do not know why that happened. I suppose it was a...pleasure, meeting you."

Shrugging off the strange incident, Obi-Wan turned to the group. "The council has requested that Anakin be assigned to a youngling group, for the sake of having others to interact with, as well as to provide data for the Archives."

"An' he's joinin' our clan, then?" Kaori asked.

"That's right, young one." Obi-Wan answered, smiling.

"Welcome to our group, Anakin." Kaori said, shaking Anakin's hand again. "I can tell you an' I are gonna get along jus' fine." Anakin smiled back. He shook hands with Barriss and Nadhar again, and sent a friendly wave to Nazo, who nodded back.

* * *

That evening, the group was having dinner. The others were busy talking with their newest member. Even though Anakin was the only one who had a Master, he was still welcomed by the others.

Except possibly him. Nazo was lost in thought. _What was with that strange feeling concerning Anakin? Why did I react like his hands were fire?_ He wondered.

"Wha' do you think, Nazo?" Kaori's voice broke through his train of thought.

"Hmm? Sorry. Lost in thought." He replied.

"'At's alright, luv." Kaori assured. "We were jus' talkin' 'bout who we were hopin' would take each of us in as their Padawan, like 'ow Anakin is Padawan to Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Yeah," Nadhar added. "I said that I see myself being trained by someone like Master Kit Fisto."

"Why?" Nazo grunted, at an attempt to untangle his stress. "Because you're both waterlogged? Or because he's used to the scent of dried fish?" Nadhar's eyes widened, assuming that such a feat is possible for the Mon Cala people, and he playfully punched Nazo in the arm as the others started chuckling. "Shut up." He said, earning a smug glare from Nazo.

"And what about you, Barriss?" Nazo asked.

"Well, in accordance with my people's tradition," Barriss explained. "I am to be trained by another member of the Mirialan race. Therefore, it is only fitting that I will train under Master Luminara Unduli."

Nazo nodded, before turning to Kaori. "And who are you going to be trained under, Kaori?"

The young girl frowned. "Not sure. Our little chat from earlier got me thinkin'. I hope I get paired up with someone who would support my beliefs."

"So essentially, someone similar to Qui-Gon Jinn?" Nadhar asked. She nodded. "Well, at least you'll be up to the challenge of finding an available Jedi for the task. It's like I said, Jedi like him are rather rare. I wish you the best of luck, Kaori."

"I thought the Jedi didn't believe in luck." Anakin spoke up.

Kaori and Nadhar glanced at each other. "Some of us do." Kaori replied with a shrug.

"I agree," Nazo added. "Now, onto more...present news. The Gathering begins in a few days."

"The Gathering?" Anakin asked. "What's that?"

Nazo, suddenly seeming tired of conversation, shot Anakin a glare that said ' _You ask too many questions for your own good, huh?'_

"The Gathering," Kaori explained, "Is a monthly event in which younglings like us travel to the icy planet of Ilum. It's a right of passage for us to take part in so we can each obtain our own Kyber crystal."

"Kyber Crystal..." Anakin repeated, with wonder in his voice. "You mean I'll be able to build my own lightsaber?"

"Assuming you pass the trial." Nazo said, concentrating on his food. He took a sip of his Ikkari juice.

"What trial?" Anakin asked.

Nazo set the cup down, a bit more forcefully than he'd wanted, and sighed. He was clearly irritated by the constant questions. "Well, we obviously don't just get our crystals for free. We must earn them. It's part of the test to see if we have the potential to continue our teachings and work towards Knighthood."

"What kind of trial is it?"

"We don't know, exactly." Barriss admitted. "I've heard though, that it's a personal test of one's mind. Only those who overcome their test can earn their crystal."

"And what happens to those who fail?" Anakin asked, nervously.

"The caves freeze shut." Nazo replied. "Sunlight only comes once a month on Ilum, Skywalker. And if you fail to emerge from the caves before the sun sets? Well, if the cold doesn't get you, then starvation will. I've yet to hear of a Jedi who could go a month without any nourishment, and withstand that sort of cold."

"Well, I'm gonna pass my test, earn my crystal, and return." Anakin said, confidently. "Besides, I'd take Ice over sand anyway."

"Is that so, luv?" Kaori asked curiously. "Why's that?"

"I've never held sand that highly." Anakin said. "It's coarse, it's rough, it's irritating, and it gets everywhere."

"Interesting." Nazo mumbled. Then he spoke up. "Where did you say you were from?"

"Tatooine. Like I was telling the others a minute ago, I was a slave boy until not that long ago. Qui-Gon helped free me."

"I'm from Mirial," Barriss responded. "Though, I don't believe I was born there."

"Mon Calamari," Nadhar added.

"Corellia." Kaori interjected.

"What about you, Nazo?" Anakin asked. All eyes were on Nazo as he took another sip of his Ikkari juice. "Don't know," He said nonchalantly. "And honestly, don't care. Could be a Coruscant native, for all I know. Apparently, maintenance crews that work here found me on the steps of the Temple as a baby, with a note attached. No trace of who left me there. Pity that whoever that was thought that the Temple was an orphanage."

"Wha' makes ya say that, luv?" Kaori asked.

"My guess is that my mother, whoever she was, didn't want me for some reason." Nazo replied. "Maybe I was an...accident baby, and my mother didn't want to be punished for what it would've meant she had done, and tried to hide me. Guess that says a lot about my worth to the galaxy, doesn't it?"

"Master Qui-Gon would have said that there are no accidents." Kaori said. "Like Anakin being discovered. Maybe it was intended to happen, like he believed. Maybe the same is true for you being left in the care of the Jedi. Maybe..."

"Maybe you should try harder at paying attention." Nazo growled. "In case you've forgotten, Qui-Gon is dead. And even now, the Council remains in denial of whether or not the creature responsible for his death was even a Sith. What are they trying to hide, anyway? Why are they acting as if this matter can just be ignored? Yes, Qui-Gon is one of the few exceptions, but apart from him, Obi-Wan, and hopefully, us, there are barely any active Jedi that would follow his example. Everyone else would just sweep everything under the rug as if it never existed. And on top of that, Master Dooku has left the Order because of this. Well, I congratulate him on having the sense to acknowledge that the Jedi aren't infallible."

"We...we aren't meant to think that way." Barriss said, nervously.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed," Nazo snapped. "That clearly hasn't stopped many Jedi from doing that anyway. Consider this: Qui-Gon Jinn isn't just dead. He was _murdered_. By a Sith. And in response to this, the Council ignores the matter completely, and attempts to cover that up. On top of that, Dooku, Qui-Gon's former master, leaves the Order out of loss of faith. And what does the Council do? They sweep _that_ under the rug too. For beings that claim that they believe in humility, they certainly fear for their reputation quite a bit, don't they? And with so few Jedi like Qui-Gon left in the Order who could take in a Padawan, I'm starting to think you're chances of even being Knighted are pretty slim, Kaori."

He must not have been thinking very well about what he was saying; the shocked, and slightly hurt, look on Kaori's face caught him off guard. Nazo groaned, standing up. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's happening to me right now. Maybe I just need some rest."

He picked up his tray, as he nodded to them and turned to leave.

"Wait." Kaori said. Nazo turned to face her.

"Don't worry about what you said." She replied. "You made a decent argument. But I 'ave faith that I'll find a Master who will support me an' train me. An' besides, I can sense 'at you feel alone. Know that that's not true, luv. You 'ave us to help ya."

"Hmph." Nazo grunted quietly, before giving her a small smile. "You may be onto something, Kaori. Your support is...duly noted. But I stand by my sentiment that I need sleep. Good night to you all, and I will see you at breakfast tomorrow." Then, under his breath, he added, "Hopefully."

 **A/N: That's it for now. I may or may not add more chapters to this in the future. Scratch that, I will write more chapters. Eventually. Of course, some information present in said chapters will probably require me to advance further with Fates Rewritten, so as to not trigger this canon's developing Fanbase to make too many assumptions. This may or may not mean that I will have to actually wait until AFTER Fates Rewritten is complete before returning to this story.**

 **For now, know that Nazo will remain significant to this story. That's all you readers need to know for now. Otherwise it would be like watching the Prequel movies for the first time, BEFORE watching the original trilogy for the first time. Which would mean that the iconic line from Empire Strikes Back isn't so much of a surprise anymore.**

 **Funny story about Nazo, btw. I used the Star Wars Name Generator site to find a cool last name for him, and one of the names that came up was "Danison Malfoy." From the start, I envisioned Nazo as the Star Wars equivalent of Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter, especially since I've set him up as the Draco to Anakin's Harry Potter. So expect them to interact in a rather similar way, though with Anakin at least putting effort towards making peace with Nazo, hoping not to have gotten off on the wrong foot with him. Of course, you'll have to wait and see whether this works or not.**

 **As for the Ikkari juice that Nazo drinks, it's like the Star Wars equivalent of Orange-Peach-Mango juice. The sweet flavor is somewhat of a comfort for the edgy young Jedi-to-be.**

 **Also, for those that aren't aware, his first name was inspired by the character of Nazo, who supposedly was meant to appear in Sonic X, but never did. He was later fleshed out in a fan made animated movie called "Nazo Unleashed" by a guy named Chara-X (give it a view if you haven't already. It's flipping amazing.)**

 **As for the way Kaori speaks, I was going off of AngelBlue1852's belief that she spoke with a British accent. As a fan of Overwatch, I immediately turned to Tracer as the base for Kaori's voice. It's what I envision her sounding like throughout this story, and she sounds the same in Fates rewritten, just with an older sounding voice. To AngelBlue1852, if you don't feel okay with this, please tell me who would be more accurate.**

 **Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter of Fates Rewritten. And once I get around to it, the next chapter of this story. The synopsis of which can be found here:**

 **The group makes their way to Ilum, though much of it will focus on Nazo specifically.**

 **Until then, Please RRF &F, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.**


	2. Whispers in the Dark

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the story itself and my OC's. Credit goes to Angelblue1852 for Kaori Galium.**

 **A/N: Here's chapter 2 of Uncertain futures. The title was inspired by the song "Whispers in the Dark" by Skillet. And a portion of this chapter was inspired by an animation on Youtube called "Echo: Undertale." For those who know what I'm talking about, you'll see where this comes into play.**

 **Also, Starwarshobbitfics, I planted another little easter egg in the dialogue for you. Let me know when you catch it.**

 **Anyways, I guess that's all I have to say for now. Enjoy.**

* * *

The caves of Ilum were even more vast than he had expected. Of course, he reminded himself, he wasn't here to go sightseeing. He was here to find his Kyber crystal and head back. What was really going through his mind was what sort of test awaited him.

He sense that his crystal was nearby. Using his link to the Force, he shut out everything else, focusing solely on the signature from the crystal. He stepped forward, as if sleepwalking, in the direction of the signature.

What he didn't expect was to be knocked down by another youngling. He snapped up, scowling at the boy who had bumped into him. "Try paying more attention to your surroundings, Skywalker." Nazo snapped.

"Hey, I tried telling you to watch out. I slipped and I couldn't stop." Anakin replied. "So you're one to talk."

Nazo sighed in resignation. "I was focused on finding my crystal, in case you forgot. Perhaps you should be more careful where you step." He turned, trying to reconnect with the Force and resume his search.

"Well, I guess I can give up on trying to make a friend with you, Nazo." Anakin replied. Nazo stopped, turning around.

"Care to repeat that, Skywalker?" He asked.

Anakin shrugged. "I just thought that, you and I got off on the wrong foot. And I was hoping that we could make up and be friends, you know? I just thought we could get along."

Brushing himself off, Nazo frowned. "Well, if this is how you try to make friends, then you are setting yourself up for disappointment."

"I just don't want us to fight like we hate each other." Anakin sighed.

"Then I suggest that you avoid interacting with me anymore than necessary." Nazo replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a crystal to find." With that, he turned in the direction of the crystal, leaving Anakin to his own.

* * *

"Of all the naïve, immature lackluster ideas," Nazo grumbled to himself, as he navigated the caverns. He and Skywalker as friends? Not likely. He had been tempted to try and explain to the younger boy why the idea was so ridiculous, but decided against it. He felt that Anakin would have just ignored him anyway. But why had he reacted as he did when he tried to shake Anakin's hand? And why were the others not bothered by this?

He chose to put off finding the answers to these questions when a flickering light caught his eye. A crystal, suspended in between two large ice shards, glimmering in the light. He surveyed the ground surrounding the crystalline structures, checking to see if it would cave in on him. Once he was certain that it was safe, he approached the center of the chamber and claimed the green crystal from its resting place.

As he slipped it into the pocket of his robes, the glimmer of light in the spot where the crystal had been, started to intensify. The area around him grew darker, and darker, until he had to cover his eyes with his arm.

When he lowered his arm, he saw that he was in some sort of void. Ice crystals of varying sizes floated around him. He looked around, wondering where he was. Was this his test?

"Hello, Youngling." Came a strange voice. He looked for the speaker, but saw no one. Suddenly, a light appeared in front of him, shining in his eyes. He turned away, to shield his vision, and saw that the shadow he was casting on the ice crystal behind him was transforming.

"Who...Who are you?" Nazo said, uncertain. Then, with a deep breath, he demanded, "Show yourself!"

The shadow almost smiled, as it peeled itself from the crystal, and flew straight through him. He turned to face it, and saw that it had shape-shifted. Now, it resembled a humanoid, with red dots as eyes and a semi-amorphous outline, as if millions of tiny creatures were swarming together to take on the shape of a human. Gray teeth filled its mouth, which was pulled back in a creepy grin.

The creature extended a hand, and the crystal within Nazo's pocket flew forth. The creature turned it over, as it levitated above his hand. Nazo snatched it away, still unsure about what he was dealing with. The creature's smile didn't fade, though. "Personally, I feel that green doesn't appear to be your color." His other hand reached within himself, as if pulling something out of his own pocket, and when he brought it out, he was holding a crystal in his hand. A red crystal.

Nazo's eyes widened. "That's a Sith crystal." He said.

"True," replied the creature. "Those who call themselves Sith do use crystals that are red in color. However, red crystals do occasionally grow on their own. This one is no different. After all, the crystal is not inherently good or evil. What matters is the intention behind its use."

The youngling stared at the creature. "Even though the blade generated by this crystal would indeed be red, that does not make it evil. Nor does it make the wielder evil. What determines whether there is good or evil is the wielder's intentions and motives. How does he plan to use the blade he has crafted. To defend and protect, or to destroy and conquer? Is he motivated by justice, or hatred? All these and more factor into whether the crystal is being used for good or for evil.

"True, history suggests that red blades are associated with the Dark Side, but why not break that stereotype?" He offered the crystal to Nazo, but the boy just swatted it away. He turned to run, but realized that something had grabbed his leg, and was pulling him into the void.

When he opened his eyes, the figure was flying around him. "Why do you care about how others perceive you?" It asked him. "Why do you seek the approval of those you have spoken against?"

"You're not making any sense." Nazo argued.

The creature's ever-present smile remained unchanged. "Is that so? Then you are denying these claims?"

One of the floating crystals rushed to the creature's hands, morphing into a white screen. As Nazo watched, it replayed his reaction to shaking Anakin's hand. Then the image switched to his speech about how the Jedi Council was deliberately concealing information about Qui-Gon Jinn's death, and how Dooku left the order as a result.

As the crystal faded away, the creature stared down at Nazo. "Do you still deny what you have said."

"N-No." Nazo admitted.

"You are right, you know." The creature said. "Concerning the boy. His actions, his decisions, will have monumental consequences."

"You mean, you can see the future?" Nazo asked.

"Hmm...I can see many futures." The figure replied. "The future is not predetermined. I see multiple futures, determined by differences in the choices that are made, and of the events that do or do not occur as a result."

"And what do you see concerning Skywalker."

The figure's smile finally began to fade. "For reasons outside my control," He explained, in an annoyed sounding voice, "I cannot give you all the details. However, know this: Skywalker will eventually be met with a choice. Two options, and each will determine the fate of the entire Galaxy."

"And if he chooses wrong?" Nazo asked.

"Define 'Wrong' in this context." The figure said.

Nazo, though taken back, attempted to answer. However, the figure cut him off. "I see several different outcomes to this. Many of these outcomes involve him making a choice that could potentially spell doom for your Jedi order. I assume that is what you meant by 'Wrong'."

Nazo thought this over. The fate of the Order, and the Galaxy as a whole, rested on the shoulders of one boy.

"Then again, why do you seem to care. You have labeled the Jedi as hypocrites, after all. So why worry so much?"

"Because," Nazo said after a minute. "It's the only life I know. I can't have my fate be decided by the choices of someone like him. What is my fate, should he make the wrong choice?"

"Looking at the most likely outcome," replied the figure, "I can only say that you meet a fate I assume you would not desire."

Nazo didn't realize he was clenching his fists at first. "Of course," the shadow continued, "If something were to happen, rendering him unable to make that key decision; if, for example, he were dead, I see this tragic fate to be avoided." Nazo couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Granted, many outcomes suggest that the Jedi would still fall, but looking at every outcome resulting from the absence of Anakin Skywalker, I would say that the vast majority of them result in the salvation of the Jedi Order."

Nazo shook his head. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying," replied the shadow, "I can help you. I can show you talents in the Force that will allow you power, even more than that of the Chosen One."

"But that would mean allowing myself to be consumed by the Dark Side." Nazo pointed out.

"That's the best part," replied the shadow. "I can teach you to gain control over the Dark Side, without allowing it to control you. Just look at the Jedi you know as Mace Windu. He has already demonstrated the possibility of using the Dark Side, without being consumed by it."

Nazo felt that he needed a moment to think about what was happening. "Come with me, my boy." The figure said, ushering Nazo away. The boy didn't react at first, but came to his senses, and pushed himself away from the dark figure.

"No." He said. The dark figure turned around.

"I will not follow you," Nazo growled. "You say that I'll be able to control the Dark Side, but that's exactly what every other Jedi who fell to the Dark Side believed. And they were still consumed by the power they wanted to control. On top of that, everything they valued fell apart because of their choice. I will not follow that path."

The shadowy figure merely sighed. "I tried, I suppose." He said, looking down at his hands. "I suppose if that is your choice..." He suddenly snapped his gaze up at Nazo, now fully solid and radiating power. "...THEN I WILL MAKE YOU JOIN ME BY FORCE!" He summoned a cloud of darkness, and hurled it at Nazo.

The boy held out his hands, shielding himself. The darkness that trickled around him, threatening to weaken his resolve felt like nothing Nazo had ever witnessed. This somehow didn't seem like the type of Dark Side power associated with the Sith. This wasn't just fear, anger, or hatred. This was the Dark Side in its purest and most powerful form.

Nazo gritted his teeth, straining under the pressure. The figure smiled. "So you understand that you cannot overcome the Dark Side. Just give in. It will eb over much faster."

The young boy growled. Then he struggled to speak. "I...said...no. Now leave. Me. Alone."

The strain increased, and he felt that his will was starting to break. "I...said...leave...me...ALONE!" With a loud yell, he poured all his remaining strength into pushing the darkness out. The cloud of Dark energy struck the figure, and all was enveloped in blinding light.

* * *

Nazo jolted, realizing he'd falling asleep. Was it all just a dream? He checked his pocket. The green crystal was still there. He sighed in relief. Then he felt something in his other pocket. He fished it out, and shuddered.

As he emerged from the caves, he was unsettled that everyone else seemed to have been waiting a while, and the caves had almost frozen shut again.

"Youngling Malfoy, worried we were." Master Yoda said.

"Well, I'm here now, Master Yoda, and I have my crystal." Nazo replied, holding up the green crystal for everyone to see.

"Good, good." Yoda responded. "Return, we can, to the ship. Time, to begin building your lightsabers, it is."

As the others all ran to out of the caves, Nazo held back. "Master?"

Yoda turned to face the young one. "Hmm...Troubled, by something, that seen in the caves, you have, are you?"

Nazo took a deep breath. "I found something other than my Kyber Crystal down there."

"Something else, you say." Yoda replied, more as a statement than a question. "And troubles you, it does, hmm?"

Nazo sighed. "I found..." His hand was in his pocket, though Yoda saw nothing wrong with that. To him, Nazo was merely trying to ease his feelings through movement. "My courage." He said with confidence.

Yoda nodded, giving a satisfied smile. "Ah, yes. Courage. A valuable tool, it is. Serve you well, it will."

"I see," Nazo said, sounding relieved. "Thank you, Master." As they made their way out of the caves, Nazo's relief gave way to concern.

* * *

Later, as the ship flew through hyperspace, the younglings were testing out their lightsabers.

"Nice design, luv." Kaori said to Anakin.

"Thanks," He replied. "Yours is good too."

"What about mine?" Interjected Nadhar. "Mine is waterproof."

"Of course it is, Nadhar." Barriss argued. "I wouldn't expect much less from you."

"Sounds kinda fishy to me, though." Kaori joked. Nadhar deactivated his lightsaber and elbowed Kaori.

"What about you, Nazo." Anakin spoke up. "Let's see yours."

Nazo, who was lost in thought, didn't reply right away. When he realized he ws being spoken too, he said, "Hm? Oh, er, forgive me. I've been thinking, Anakin. Maybe you're right. We should work towards a more positive connection." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I think I just need to rest. Come get me when we reach Coruscant."

As he headed off to sleep, the others all exchanged glances. Nadhar shrugged. "Guess he must have seen something really serious down in those caves."

"Not like it's our business wha' he saw." Kaori argued. "But you're right, luv. It does feel like somthin's eatin' at him."

In the solitude of his cabin, Nazo risked pulling out the small item in his pocket. Whoever that had been, they did raise a valid point: This crystal wasn't necessarily evil just because it was red. But then why would he be so determined to drag Nazo to the Dark Side?

He felt that he should have said something. He should have told Yoda what happened. But he didn't. As unsure as he was about that, he felt it in his heart that this was his struggle, and his alone to face. Tightening his hand back into a fist around the crystal, he slipped it back into his pocket, and went to sleep.

 **A/N: So, what do you think? Are things starting to click into place? I put off writing this chapter for so long because I didn't know how to feel about what it would mean. The content of this chapter makes things about my other stories start to make sense, but there are more things to cover. Obviously, this story might fall flat compared to Altered Destinies and Fates Rewritten because of how sporadic the events of this story are. This also means that Uncertain Futures is going to be much shorter than either of my other stories relating to this canon.**

 **Props to whoever can PM me with the correct guess to the identity of the individual Nazo encountered (Just don't expect me to confirm or deny it. It's one thing I hope to save for later in the story).**

 **On top of that, there is a major time jump between this chapter and the next one. It jumps to the episode "Cloak of Darkness" in the clone wars, and Nazo's story progresses.**

 **Until then, please RRF &F, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.**


	3. Interrogations

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OC's. Kaori Galium is the property of AngelBlue1852.**

 **A/N: Just like chapter 11 of Fates Rewritten, expect there to be a big reference that Starwarshobbitfics should recognize.**

 **Strangely enough, this chapter was written on March 25th, 2017. So as of this date, Fates Rewritten is still in the works. I wanted to have that story wrapped up before I resumed work on Uncertain Futures, for obvious reasons. However, I decided that I would be okay revealing things in this story that would have otherwise been made clearer in Fates Rewritten.**

 **Anyway, this chapter takes place during the Clone Wars, in the episode "Cloak of Darkness." I just need to get something out of the way: some pretty dark things in this chapter. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.**

* * *

Ahsoka Tano hadn't wanted to actually harm Gunray. She just wanted him to talk, and knew that scaring him would play to his greedy nature. Master Unduli, however, had already scolded her for her reckless actions.

Now the two of them were in the ship's hangar, awaiting the arrival of another Jedi. And Ahsoka decided she needed to speak.

"Master Unduli," she said, addressing the Mirialan Jedi. "Please forgive my actions earlier. I...I just wanted answers."

Luminara sighed. "I understand, Padawan." She replied. "I agree. But what you did in hopes of getting those answers was wrong. But I do not blame you for your choices, young one. I suppose it is a result of training under someone like Anakin Skywalker." Ahsoka cast a look at the Jedi Master, who added, "I do not mean anything negative towards Master Skywalker, young one. I am merely acknowledging that perhaps his...unorthodox...methods are already rubbing off on you."

Ahsoka held her head in understanding. Luminara continued, "Which is why I've requested that this Jedi arrive."

As if on cue, a small transport emerged from hyperspace, landing inside the hangar. The two Jedi walked over to the ship as the hatch opened up. Ahsoka didn't recognize the Jedi who stepped off the ship to meet them.

He had dark hair, and semi-pale skin. His eyes were a dark brown, almost maroon color. The gaze with which he addressed his surroundings almost seemed unsetlling. It could be best described as the type of person to enter a room, and all conversations would come to an instant halt.

"Knight Malfoy." Luminara said, greeting the newcomer. "It is good to see that you could make it."

"The feeling is mutual." The other Jedi replied. "And your Padawan wished for me to send you her regards."

Luminara nodded. Then the Jedi turned to Ahsoka. "I do not believe we have met. Nor was I informed that you would be here."

"I believe that would be my fault, Knight Malfoy," Luminara began. "Allow me to introduce you to-"

"Unless she has no voice of her own, I suggest you allow her to use it." Knight Malfoy interrupted. Ahsoka was stunned. This guy had just cut Master Unduli off, and she barely reacts. She didn't want to think that she was being judgemental, but the way he acted made her think she didn't like him.

"Now," Malfoy continued. "As I have said, you and I have not met before. I suppose you would have the courtesy to give me your name, Padawan."

 _You're one to talk_ , Ahsoka thought.

"Padawan, as rude as you may perceive me to be, we do not have all the time in the world." Malfoy snapped. Ahsoka shuddered. _How did he know that was what I was thinking?_

"Your thoughts are not very difficult to hear, young one. It is why I was summoned here in the first place. Now for all of our sakes, I will ask you only one more time. What is your name?" He explained.

Taking a breath, Ahsoka replied, "My name is Ahsoka Tano. And you would be?"

"Ah, see? That was not so hard." Malfoy said. "I am Nazo Malfoy. Jedi Knight. And who might be your master, Padawan Tano?"

"Anakin Skywalker." She replied.

He gave her a look that she didn't seem familiar with. She couldn't tell exactly what he was thinking. "The resemblance is uncanny." He said. She was about to ask him what he meant by that, but he turned to Master Unduli and said, "You may tell the captain to make the jump to hyperspace. I wish to rest for now before I see the prisoner. I suggest that you do the same, Master Unduli."

As he strode off at a rather brisk pace, Ahsoka turned to the Jedi Master and said, "He interrupted you, and it didn't bother you?"

"It is likely that he merely wants to get this over with quickly." Luminara sighed. "As patient as he is, he also hates when those around him waste time."

"He doesn't sound like the flexible type, huh?" Ahsoka asked. "Who was he trained by? Master Windu?"

Luminara very nearly chuckled at that comment. She too admitted that sometimes, Mace Windu could be excessively uptight, and she hadn't realized how alike he and Nazo were. Nonetheless, she maintained a straight face.

"No," She replied. "He was the Padawan of Ulzaar-Ahk Oros."

Ahsoka remembered the tales that had been told of that Jedi. He was a renowned negotiator, though not exactly on the same level as Obi-Wan Kenobi, but he was a skilled diplomat nonetheless. He was also among the few Jedi to agree with many of the late Qui-Gon Jinn's ideologies.

"What happened?" Ahsoka asked.

Luminara paused to recall the story. She hadn't been there, but she had heard about it. "According to Shaak Ti, Master Oros spoke before the council explaining Malfoy's extensive knowledge. He claimed that the young Jedi's understanding of the Jedi way went beyond his own. In short, he claimed that there was nothing left for him to teach."

"So, Nazo became a Knight just like that?" Ahsoka asked. "When was this?"

"Just two years after he was made a Padawan." Luminara recalled. "He was twelve at the time."

Ahsoka froze, her jaw going slack. "Twelve..." She muttered, absentmindedly. "I'm fourteen..."

"He spent nearly every free moment he had in the Archives." Luminara added. Then, she allowed herself a brief smile. "I recall speaking with Madame Jocasta recently. She said she had once found him asleep at a desk. Other times, he would spend several consecutive days doing nothing but read files in the Archives."

Ahsoka was stunned. "He goes without sleep for days on end?" She asked. "Well, no wonder he's so uptight."

"Perhaps you are right, Padawan." Luminara noted. "And whenever he did sleep, it was rarely for more than an hour. It was concerning for many of us."

"What was he usually doing in the Archives?" Ahsoka asked.

"I am not sure." Luminara admitted. "Madame Jocasta saw little wrong with Knight Malfoy's thirst for knowledge. And she told me once that she tended to avoid spying on him or going through his research. But from what I've gathered, much of his knowledge is of rare abilities and how to learn them."

Ahsoka took a moment to think on this. She still didn't feel comfortable around him. But she wanted to at least make an effort to fix that.

* * *

Luminara had retired to her quarters, leaving Ahsoka with Nazo. She awkwardly tried to put the words together in her mind. Of course, Nazo beat her to it.

"I agree that you and I did not get off on the right foot, Padawan." He stated meticulously. "However, you must understand that your Master and I have not been on such preferable terms. I find his methods to be rather...unusual. I merely feel concern for your sake, given that you are his Padawan."

"S-Sorry, Knight Malfoy." She said. "It just...surprised me to know about your, uh, persistent need for information."

"In my youth, my curiosity often surpassed my instincts to sleep or eat." Nazo replied.

"And, if you don't mind me asking," Ahsoka wondered. "What kinds of things did you learn?"

"Perhaps you will see when I interrogate the prisoner." He stated.

As the doors opened, the two Jedi stepped into the holding cell. Nute Gunray slowly looked up at them.

"Nute Gunray." Nazo stated.

"Oh, another Jedi." Gunray said. "And you would be?"

"I'm here for information." Nazo explained. "Information I know you can provide for me. Now drop the false pleasantries and let us get down to business."

"P-Please, spare me, master Jedi." Gunray stuttered. "I am just a Pawn in all of this."

"So glad of you to acknowledge this, Viceroy." Nazo replied. "And do you know what that means for you?"

The Nemoidian Viceroy remained silent. "It means that your so-called allies would very easily dispose of you at a moment's notice." Nazo explained grimly.

The Viceroy gulped. "As I was saying," Nazo continued. "You now know, hopefully, that your associates would be eager to dispose of you, and find a replacement for your position. I presume that lessens your fears about shedding some light on them. So, would you be so kind as to tell me what I want to know?"

"W-W-What is it th-that y-y-you want to know?" Gunray sputtered.

Nazo turned to Ahsoka. "You see, Padawan?" He said. "This is why I hold the Nemoidians in such low regard. Take away their armies, and have them in a corner, and they reduce to sniveling heaps. They would easily backstab one another at the first opportunity. Any species that methodically promotes such shameful levels of greed are no friends of mine." Then he turned back to the Viceroy. "As for what I want to know..." He closed his eyes, then opened them again. Only now, his gaze was like that of a viper. " _Everything you know._ "

Gunray shuddered. "Let's start small, shall we?" Nazo said. "Where is Count Dooku?"

"I-I-I...I won't tell you." Gunray stammered. He squirmed in his chair. "I don't even know where he is."

"Oh, I believe you do, Viceroy." Nazo replied nonchalantly.

"Uhm, well, I...uh...he's...he's not at...R-Raxus." Gunray said.

"I know he is not there, Gunray." Nazo said, with a small hint of impatience in his tone. He glared at the Nemoidian. "Now I want you to tell me. Where. He. Is." He leaned in closer with every word, until his face was inches from Gunray's. The Viceroy didn't speak, but only stammered more.

Nazo sighed. He was getting nowhere this way. "I will make a deal with you." He said. "If you give me the answers I desire, and remain _completely_ honest with me, I will set you free. You have my word." Gunray's eyes widened. Ahsoka looked at Nazo, wanting to ask him what he was thinking. "Now, do I have yours?"

"Yes, Yes, I promise." Gunray said.

"Good." Nazo said, with a satisfied smile. "Now, tell me where I could find Count Dooku."

"H-He has an estate on his h-home planet, Serenno." Gunray explained.

"Good answer." Nazo said. "Next question. Who contacted you offering you a position of power within the Separatist Alliance?"

"Count Dooku." Gunray replied.

"Very good, Viceroy." Nazo stated, as if rewarding a child for good behavior. "Now, one last thing. Who ordered you to attack Naboo so long ago?"

Gunray was completely unprepared for this. He was a nervous wreck. He briefly turned towards Ahsoka, who was merely watching from the side, before Nazo made a quick gesture through the Force, pulling the Viceroy's attention back to him.

"Don't look at her, Gunray. Look at me." He ordered. Then he turned to the younger Jedi. "Padawan Tano, if you would be so kind as to step out of the cell. I would like to conduct the remainder of my questioning alone."

"Oh, of course, Knight Malfoy." She replied. She stepped out of the cell and stood at the other end of the room.

Turning back to his captive, Nazo spoke in a low tone. "Now, I know that Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was killed on Naboo during your Trade Federation's invasion. He was slain by a Sith Assassin. Darth Maul, if I am correct. Does that name ring a bell with you, Viceroy?"

"Uh, uh, n-n-n-" Gunray stuttered, before his chin was cupped in a firm grip by Nazo.

"Choose your words with _extreme_ care, Gunray." He snapped. "You do know who I speak of, don't you?" He eased his grip just enough to allow the greedy Nemoidian enough room to nod his head. "And you also know of Maul's master, do you not?"

Gunray was shocked, but quickly tried to hide it under a layer of ignorance. The grip on his chin tightened suddenly. "Do not lie to me, Nemoidian." Nazo growled. "You made a promise to be completely truthful. Either you can give me the information I now desire, or I will take it from you."

Gunray remained silent. "You seem surprised that I know that there is someone else in this little game." Nazo noted, releasing his grip completely. "It's simple, really. Maul was merely the apprentice. And as Dooku did not leave the Order until after the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, it is only logical that someone else was pulling the strings. I also know that this same Sith Lord is currently employing Dooku as the so-called leader of the Separatists. And that _you_ have spoken with him...numerous times. So I ask you this: Who is he?"

Gunray knew he was doomed. He was doing everything in his power to remain clueless, but he was also aware that he had no choice but to spill. "His name...his name is..." Although Nazo didn't care why, the Viceroy still reduced his voice to a whisper. "Darth...Sidious." He was panicking, as he knew what he was setting himself up for. "C-Count Dooku is his apprentice. That's all I know, I swear."

Nazo took a breath as he stepped back. "There, that was not hard at all, was it, Viceroy?" He asked. The Nemoidian felt himself relax against his cuffs. He was sweating profusely ( **A/N: Do the Nemoidians sweat? Please enlighten me, oh faithful readers** ).

Nazo crossed his arms over his chest. "How pleasant that in spite of your despicable levels of greed and corruption, you still have enough sense to see reason." He said. "Your cooperation is greatly appreciated, Viceroy."

Ahsoka suddenly felt a sense of unease well up in her, as if the air temperature in the room just dropped by 15 degrees.

"Thank you so much for holding true to your word." Nazo continued, as he undid Gunray's cuffs. The Nemoidian slowly rose to his feet. "Now, allow me to return the favor."

It happened in an instant. He threw out his left arm, curling his fingers almost in a choke hold. Before the Viceroy had time to even gag, his neck snapped with a nauseating crunch. Ahsoka, having watched the entire thing, jumped back in shock.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what the kriff?!" She shouted, clutching her chest as if checking to make sure her heart hadn't stopped.

The Viceroy's limp corpse slumped to the ground, like a puppet who's strings had just been cut. How fitting, since that was all he had been: the Puppet of a Sith Lord.

Nazo cast a side glance at the young Padawan. "Language, Padawan Tano. Would your master approve of that type of talk from you?"

"At least I didn't just kill a prisoner!" She snapped back. "You said you were going to set him free!"

"And I did," Nazo replied, as if nothing was wrong. "I freed his poor soul from his slimy body. I gave him a swift and merciful death."

Ahsoka couldn't believe this. "How is that the Jedi way?" She asked.

In a voice that fell between bored and apathetic, he explained. "Consider this. Dooku would know by now that he could not retrieve the Viceroy before I got what I needed. Therefore, Dooku would likely send his little pet, Ventress to kill Gunray. Either that, or he would indeed rescue the Viceroy, and personally punish him."

"So?" Ahsoka asked, still not convinced.

"Do you believe Dooku to be a merciful man?" Nazo said. She opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came out. "My thoughts exactly," Nazo continued. "He likely would have drawn out the Viceroy's suffering for as long as he could. It would only have been when the Viceroy was begging for his suffering to end, when he was reduced to an even more spineless and pathetic heap, that Dooku would finally grant Gunray a slow, painful death."

"Shouldn't he at least have been kept alive so he could stand trial?" Ahsoka asked.

"That would be redundant, Padawan Tano." He replied, not even looking back at her. "His crimes against the Republic are rather obvious, are they not? In my mind, I have already judged him as guilty of crimes against the Republic and its people. My verdict, a swift but merciful death." There was a moment of silence, during which Ahsoka tried to pursue her argument. "And before you ask," Nazo added. "I already obtained everything I needed to know from him. That is one of my abilities, Padawan. To extract knowledge from others through the Force. That is how I know what you are going to say before you can even think it."

Ahsoka sighed, not even bothering to try and ask him, and as she predicted, he inferred her thoughts before they even existed. "No, I don't see how master Unduli will take this lightly. But this is war, Padawan Tano. Sacrifices must be made. Just know that I did what I did out of pity for the sleemo. Consider the death I gave him to be the most merciful way for him to die. I simply saw no need for his suffering to continue. I took what I needed to know, and granted him a swift end." Now he turned to face her with a raised eyebrow. "Unless you think he should have suffered more. Am I correct?"

She tried to speak, but stopped herself. "I thought not." Nazo concluded. "I am retiring to my quarters now. There is much for me to sort through in my mind. I require solitude. I suggest you do the same, Padawan Tano."

Without another word, he left her alone. Sighing, she returned to her own quarters. _So much for trying to make peace with him_ , she thought.

 **A/N: I warned you this gets dark. In a way, Nazo officially knows that Darth Sidious is behind the war, though he obviously doesn't know Sidious' true identity...yet.**

 **Ulzaar-Ahk Oros is another one of my OC's, but he isn't as prominent in this canon. To get it out of the way, he dies shortly before the war ends, as one of the Jedi casualties in the Battle of Coruscant.**

 **When I first imagined how I wanted Nazo to act in this chapter, I turned to Severus Snape as portrayed by Alan Rickman (may he rest in peace). His methodical, down-to-business way of speaking, and his lack of tolerance for unnecessary chatter, and even his ability to completely justify his actions in a way that genuinely makes sense all add up.**

 **And yes, Nazo was made a knight at just twelve years old. Of course, his unprecedented accomplishment of attaining knighthood even before he hit puberty was something of a concern to the Jedi Council, including Master Yoda. But hopefully, I can relay this type of info through the actual story, and not just rant about it in the Author's Note.**

 **Also, for all necessary measurements, such as temperature, distance, or weight, I will be using the American standards of measurement, because I am an American author. Just to let those of you in other countries know.**

 **Next chapter, I make another big jump, this time, to the aftermath of the Season 5 finale. All four of the prominent characters in this story-Anakin, Kaori, Barriss, and Nazo-will be featured prominently.**

 **Until then, please RRF &F, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.**


	4. Confessions

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC's. Kaori Galium belongs to AngelBlue1852.**

 **A/N: This chapter picks up just after Ahsoka's trial.**

* * *

Kaori couldn't believe what had happened. Barriss was her friend. How could she have done something like this? Something didn't add up. She was pulled from her thoughts when a hand grasped her shoulder.

"Oh," She said, when she saw who it was. "It's just you, Nazo."

"I sensed that you were being troubled by something." He said. "Do you have the strength of mind to tell me what it is?"

"I...I just can't believe Barriss would do something this drastic." She replied. "It...It just isn't her."

Nazo sighed. "That depends."

"On what?" Kaori asked, suddenly questioning his logic.

"On whether or not she was aware of her actions." He explained.

Kaori's face scrunched up in thought. "You think someone's been controllin' her, luv?"

"Yes." Nazo replied. Kaori thought about something and said, "I'm gonna go see her. Where were you heading?"

"I was going to find Anakin. I haven't seen him since after Ahsoka's trial." He answered. "However, I wish to see what has become of our friend Barriss first."

* * *

They arrived at the detention center where Barriss Offee was being kept. The troopers standing guard gave them ten minutes to speak with her. When she saw them, she frowned. "Oh, it's you two." She said. "What do you want? Here to tell me how 'Ashamed' you are of me?"

The two Jedi Knights looked at each other, before Kaori turned to Barriss. "We just want to talk, luv. We want to know why you did it."

"You already know why." Barriss replied.

Nazo exhaled. "What concerns us is that you are not the type of person who would do something this drastic. You bombed the temple, murdered your accomplice, and almost got one of your best friends killed. That does not sound very much like something we believe you would resort too."

"I...I didn't plan for Ahsoka to get caught up in all this." Barriss admitted. "I was planning to attack again once I realized she had been blamed, so that it would prove her innocence. That's why I helped her escape the first time."

"And yet, instead, you merely made it worse." Nazo argued. "You are no killer, Barriss. Why would you resort to such violence?"

"Oh, don't lecture me about morals, Nazo." Barriss retorted. "You're certainly in no position to talk. Didn't you kill Nute Gunray a few years ago when you were supposed to be interrogating him?" Kaori whipped her head to Nazo, in total shock. Nazo's expression, however, remained neutral.

"Someone had to do it." He shrugged. "At least, unlike Dooku, I granted him a swift death."

"So you know that sometimes, we all need to make sacrifices." Barriss replied.

Kaori was still numb from what she now knew about Nazo. Even though she had heard about his death, she didn't realize it was Nazo who killed him. Granted, she sort of agreed with the idea that Gunray needed to get what he deserved. In fact, she felt deep down that the greedy slime ball's death had been long overdue. But not the way he received it. Not from someone she considered a friend.

She knew that Jedi weren't supposed to let their emotions get to them, even those with her kinds of beliefs. On top of that, she was in her twenties. She needed to keep it together. Which, of course, meant she was falling apart.

Nazo heard her starting to sob, and the stern gaze he was noted for started to fade. "Kaori," He said. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Kaori repeated, her emotions rising. "What's wrong?! I'll tell you what's wrong, Nazo. This war is tearin' us apart, Nazo. Look what it did to Nadhar. He's dead. He threw all his Jedi training away and got 'imself killed. Now I find out that you killed someone, an' then Barriss went an' bombed the Temple. _Why?_ " The tears were no longer being held back. "Why are we fallin' so far? How much are we willin' to sacrifice for the sake of this damn war, hmm? 'ow much more are we gonna throw away for some stupid bloody war?!"

She couldn't help herself anymore. She threw herself against Nazo, burying her face into his chest and crying loudly. Nazo had never seen her this upset before, not even when she had found out about Qui-Gon Jinn's death. Sighing, he did the only thing he thought to do, and hugged Kaori back.

"That's it, Kaori." He said, softly. "Just let it out. It's like you said. You shouldn't be holding these feelings down so much. Just let it all out. I'm right here." When she looked back up at him, her eyes were puffy and she was sniffling. She broke away.

Nazo sighed. "I understand that you must think I am losing my way as a Jedi. I'll admit, perhaps killing Gunray was a poor move on my part, but at the time, I had presumed that he was of little importance to either side. I had already learned everything I needed to know from him. I was also under the impression that Dooku would suspect that by the time Separatist forces could arrive to attempt a rescue, Gunray would have already cracked and revealed valuable secrets to us. Which he had. So, knowing that Dooku would most likely kill Gunray anyway, I spared him of such a terrible fate, and granted him a merciful death."

Kaori sniffled, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, luv. I...I just don't want to watch any more of my friends die to this war. I just want us to end this already."

"And yet here I am, in prison for having tried to send that very message." Barriss interjected.

"The message you were trying to send was not the problem, Barriss." Nazo said. "It was the methods with which you went about getting it across." Barriss looked to the floor. "Which reminds me..."

Using the Force, he opened Barriss' cell. She barely had enough time to react before the green blade of Nazo's lightsaber pierced her through the chest. Kaori jumped back.

"What the bloody hell, Nazo?!" She screamed. "I thought I just said that..." She looked at Barriss, shocked to see sparks flying out of the wound. As "Barriss" collapsed, she changed into something else.

"A...training droid?!" Kaori asked. "How did...what?"

Nazo stood up again. He deactivated his lightsaber as the guards filled the room. "I had been attempting to read her thoughts during our conversation." He explained. "I knew something was wrong when I didn't sense any vital signs from her. Not even a Force signature."

"So, the traitor planted a decoy so she could escape?" One of the clones asked.

"Hmm, in a way." Nazo answered. "However, Barriss is not the traitor. Someone else framed her, just as we presumed that she framed Ahsoka Tano."

"So that means..." Kaori asked, with hope filling her eyes. "Barriss is innocent too?"

"Yes." Nazo said. "And we need to find her."

"Master Unduli is going to be relieved to 'ear this." Kaori said under her breath, as she and several of the guards took off to find Barriss.

* * *

Nazo relied on his senses in the Force to locate her. He checked throughout the Temple, until something caught his attention. It was Anakin. Nazo turned to the Clones helping him and said, "You continue searching, gentlemen. I need to see to something." The Clones nodded in affirmation, and headed off. Anakin sensed Nazo approach.

"Oh," Anakin said bitterly. "It's you."

Nazo was caught off guard by Anakin's tone. "Anakin, is something wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong," Anakin replied. "What's going on?"

"A decoy was discovered in Barriss cell. Someone reprogrammed one of those prototype holodroids you built and used it to impersonate her."

Anakin clenched his fists. "So that traitor Barriss is still out there?"

Nazo sighed. "Yes and No. Yes, the traitor is still at large. But no, it is not Barriss. She is as innocent as Ahsoka in all this." There was a pause. "Say, where is Ahsoka, anyway."

"Gone." Anakin growled. "She left. She's not coming back."

"She left the Order?" Nazo asked. Anakin nodded. "Why?"

"The stupid Council, that's why." Anakin snapped. "They offered to make her a Knight after they realized they were wrong."

"That's it?" Nazo asked. "That doesn't seem like a bad thing at all."

"There's more." Anakin continued. "Instead of actually apologizing for there mistakes, Mace Windu decided to play it all off as her 'Big trial'. What a load of nonsense."

"Well, that's Master Windu for you, I suppose." Nazo sighed.

Anakin smirked. Nazo went on. "So now she's gone?"

"Yes." Anakin replied. "And I don't know what to do about it."

"Forgive me for suggesting this, Anakin." Nazo sighed. "But perhaps it would be wise to move on." Anakin looked up at him incredulously, but before he could say anything, Nazo added, "Would she want you to fall into this pit of despair?"

Anakin took a moment to process this. "She's not here anymore."

"But she's still alive, thanks to you. Isn't she?" Nazo argued. "She has your training, after all. Have some faith in her abilities. And don't just throw in the towel just because she left. You need to be strong, for her sake."

"Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" Anakin asked, suspiciously.

Nazo sighed. "I've had much time to think about things, Anakin. I understand that you and I have not been on good terms. With everything happening so suddenly, though, I feel that we should have made more of an effort to cooperate.

"You see, I've held something akin to envy against you. And a fair amount of concern as well. Everyone is calling you 'The Chosen One' and 'The Hero with No Fear'. I can only imagine how you have been taking this information, and the idea that the very fate of the Galaxy could very much rest on your shoulders must be a big responsibility."

Anakin groaned. "Is that why the Council is alwasy concerned about me? Because of that?"

"I can only assume that is the case." Nazo shrugged. "I understand that this must place a lot of pressure on you. Coupled with something like your Padawan walking away like this. It's rather impressive that you haven't completely snapped under the pressure yet."

Anakin sighed, realizing that Nazo had a point. "Besides," Nazo added with a playful smirk. "I think the only thing you need to worry about is whether or not she knows how to land a ship in one piece." Anakin's eyes widened and he punched Nazo's shoulder.

He sighed as he said, "Well, going off of what you mentioned about me snapping, that actually happened, once."

"Is that so?" Nazo said, worried. "What happened?"

Anakin sighed. "I prefer not to talk about it."

Nazo said, "We're having a conversation about this, Anakin. If you have something you want to get off your chest, you might as well just say something now."

Anakin didn't say anything at first. Nazo sighed, then extended his hand. After a moment, he reeled back, an expression of realization on his face.

"What?" Anakin wondered. "What did you do?"

"I saw...everything." Nazo said. "I searched your thoughts. You were thinking back to something that occurred on Tatooine. Your mother dying in your arms. The slaughter of the Tusken Raiders. Everything."

"So now you know." Anakin grumbled. "I was angry that I failed to save my mother, and her murderers were right outside the tent. Of course I took out my anger on them."

"If it means anything," Nazo replied. "I was the one who killed Nute Gunray."

Anakin sighed, having heard how the slimy Viceroy had been dead upon arriving to Coruscant.

"So I guess we're both murderers then, huh?" Anakin asked.

"In my defense, somebody was going to have to do Gunray in eventually." Nazo shrugged. Then he looked at Anakin and said, "So, what will it be. Can we move on?" He extended a hand to Anakin, who looked down at it.

"Sure," He said. "It's better than hating each other." He reached out to shake Nazo's hand, but as soon as they made contact, Anakin reeled back, clutching his hand as if it were on fire.

Nazo, however, wasn't fooled for long, and punched Anakin's shoulder playfully. "Now we're even." Anakin joked.

The com link at Nazo's side beeped. He activated it.

" _Nazo, are you there?_ " Kaori asked.

"I'm here," Nazo replied. "And Anakin's here as well."

" _We've found Barriss. She was tied up and unconscious when we found her. I've already mentioned this to the Council. Can you guys come find me?_ "

"We're on our way, Kaori." Nazo replied. He exchanged a look with Anakin and said, "We should go."

"But what about the traitor?" Anakin asked. "They're still out there."

"We'll find them eventually." Nazo replied. "For right now, our friends need us. And the Council will have some explaining to do."

 **A/N: Originally, I was intending to add a little part where Nazo is reflecting on what has happened, and it would have been revealed that he was the one to set Barriss up. The idea was that he hoped to undermine Anakin's resolve, and that he was pretending to be supporting Anakin following Ahsoka's leave. It would also have been mentioned that Nazo was the one to have killed Letta Turmond.**

 **Also, I am aware that in Altered Destinies, Barriss claims that she was the victim of something akin to mind control, whereas in here, it is established that the "** **Barriss" that carried out the attacks was a fake. This is the official explanation. I'll have to get around to fixing up that little error at a later date.**

 **The thing is, and I'm just going to get it out there: Nazo Malfoy is in fact the Stalker in Altered Destinies and Fates Rewritten. However, the circumstances through which he makes this transition are going to remain under wraps for now. I'm thinking of progressing the plot of Fates Rewritten a little more before I reach that part in this story where Nazo's fall to the Dark Side is explained.**

 **Also, The droids Nazo mentioned are the same exact ones as PROXY, from The Force Unleashed. I consider them canon, along with anything pertaining to Revan, because it should be canon.**

 **Next Chapter, we time skip to the first arc of Season Six, from Kaori's perspective. It will focus on her involvement in unraveling the conspiracy on Kamino.**

 **Until then, please RRF &F, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.**


	5. Conspiracies

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC's. Kaori Galium belongs to Angelblue1852.**

 **A/N: This chapter picks up just before Fives' death in season 6. It takes some pretty interesting turns. ****Also, light swearing ahead. But other than that, enjoy.**

* * *

Commander Fox raised his blaster, leveling it on the trooper. He had his orders, and he needed to see them through. His finger slid towards the trigger, and...

"Stop right there!" Kaori yelled. She jumped out, putting herself between Fives and his pursuers. "Wha' are ya, blind? You were about to kill your own brother, Commander."

"General Galium." Fox said after a minute. "What...What are you doing here?"

"Protectin' my friend, tha's what I'm doin'." She replied. "Wha' are you thinkin', Fox, aimin' a blaster at your own brother?"

"I have orders to capture ARC trooper Fives," Fox replied nervously. "And...kill him if the need arises."

"Which it never should." Kaori snapped. Anakin, who was still trapped in a ray shield with Rex, was shocked. He'd never seen her snap at anyone like this before. He wasn't sure how to react. Kaori turned to Rex and asked, "Captain, you remember wha' happened on Umbara, right?"

"How can I forget?" Rex replied.

"Exactly. You were basically given orders to kill your own brothers." Kaori went on. "Granted, I was never very trusting of you clones at first, but as this bloody war has dragged on, I've seen how you interact. You look out for each other, and you care for one another. Maybe tha's why I still feel skeptical of you Clones; I envy your freedom to have the kinds of emotional bonds that the Jedi like me and Skywalker can't have..." She sent a look at Anakin, who pondered what she meant, as she added, "Or at least, that we shouldn't have.

"But choosing loyalty to your superiors over your fellow Clones? Unbelievable. You're brothers, damn it!"

The troopers began removing their helmets. "With all due respect, General," Commander Fox said. "ARC Trooper Fives is responsible for attacking the Supreme Chancellor."

"And you decided tha' Fives' side of the story doesn't matter?" Kaori asked. The Clones looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Kaori adjusted her outfit, in a way that Anakin recognized as her way of showing that she was right. Then, she turned to Fives, who was shaking from nervousness. "Alright, trooper. Wha's your side of this story?"

Fives nervously sat down, and began to explain what happened. When he was finished, Kaori stood up again. "As I thought." She said. "So the Kaminoans drugged you right before you saw the Chancellor. I 'ad a feeling tha' was the case."

"But what does this mean?" Anakin asked.

"I think it's safe to say that this means the Kaminoans know something, and they're hidin' it from us." Kaori replied.

"What should we do now, General?" Fox asked.

"I suppose these biochips Fives mentioned have something to do with all this." Kaori sighed. "As such, the first order of business is seeing to it that as many of them are removed as possible. Rex, go let the rest of the 501st know to have their chips removed right away." As Rex stood up, he nodded and turned to leave.

Anakin said, "I guess I'll go with him to make sure they all have their chips taken out." He and Rex left. Kaori turned to Fives.

"Go with 'em, Fives. They ought to hear your story too." She said. Fives nodded and went to accompany them.

"And what about us?" Fox asked.

"I think it's pretty obvious." Kaori replied. "You an' your men are due to have 'em removed as well. Right away."

"Yes, General." Fox answered in his most official voice. He and the others turned to leave, when Fox turned back to Kaori. "And what are you going to be doing?"

Kaori replied, "I'm going to try to get to the bottom of this mystery."

Later, she sought out her former Master, Shaak Ti. Fortunately, the Togrutan Jedi Master had not left Coruscant yet. "Kaori," She said, as her former Padawan approached. "Where have you been?"

"Good evenin', Master." Kaori replied. "I was just lookin' for you."

"What is on your mind, young one?" Shaak Ti asked.

"I feel like the Kaminoans are hiding something from us." Kaori replied. "I found out that they had drugged Fives jus' before his meetin' with the Chancellor. I think that's why he lashed out."

Shaak Ti grew concerned. "I see." She said, contemplating her former apprentice's words. "And what is it that you suppose they are hiding from us?"

"I...don't know, yet." Kaori replied. "But, I intend to find out. I'm convinced that there's more to this mess than we've been lead to believe, master."

Shaak pondered this for a moment. "I think we should continue to look into this. If there is something greater at work that we have yet to learn, then we must find out what it is."

( **A/N: Skip ahead to just after the episode, "The Lost One"** )

Kaori had had enough. She had recently learned through the grapevine that Count Dooku had a hand in the creation of the Clone Army. Pieced together with the fact that he had left the Order around the same time that the production of the Clone Army, Kaori knew something serious was on hand. Even though she sensed that something bad would happen in the near future, she felt at ease knowing what she had accomplished thus far.

In addition to the 501st, the majority of the 327th Star Corps and a handful of troops in the 212th had their biochips removed, including her mentor, Commander Cody.

Looking back, she realized that she did trust a few clones. The 501st in particular, she couldn't help but respect. However, there were still a vast number of Clones that had yet to remove their chips. Which was why, despite the amount of time she spent alongside her former Master on Kamino, she preferred the assistance of her non-clone militia to the Clones, much like her fellow Jedi, General Kota.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she bumped into another Jedi. "Oops, sorry." She said, as she recognized the other Jedi. "My deepest apologies, Master Billaba."

"No worries, child." Depa Billaba replied. "I did not see you. I should be the one apologizing to you."

Kaori sighed, as she straightened herself out. A second Jedi walked over and extended a hand to help her up. "Oh, thank you, young one." Kaori said. "Don't think we've met, luv. I'm Kaori Galium. And you would be?"

"My name is Caleb," replied the young Jedi. "Caleb Dume."

"Nice to meet'cha, Caleb Dume." Kaori replied, shaking the younger Jedi's hand. He looked to be either 13 or 14. Then Kaori turned to Depa Billaba and said, "I didn't know you took on a new Padawan."

"I took him in just the other day, actually." Depa replied.

"Well, congratulations to both of you." Kaori said. "I can tell that you two will do well together."

Depa Billaba nodded. "Well," Kaori said. "I need to meet with someone in a bit. Good day, Master."

"And to you as well." Master Billaba replied, as she and her Padawan left. Kaori sighed. She couldn't help but feel that there was more to the young Jedi, as if he was somehow going to play a large role in the future of the Galaxy.

Once again, she allowed her thoughts to wander to the point where she was practically blind. She bumped into yet another Jedi, only this time, she had been looking for him.

"Nazo," She replied. "I'm so sorry. I was-"

"Thinking about Master Billaba's Padawan, I know." Nazo replied. "Though, is he not a tad bit too young for you, Kaori?"

The Corellian Jedi smirked, though she resisted the ever so common urge to punch him in the arm like Anakin, and until he died, Nadhar, did whenever Nazo made this kind of joke.

"Well, did you find anything out on Kamino?" Kaori asked.

"It would seem your suspicions were correct, Kaori." Nazo replied. "I questioned several of the Kaminoan scientists concerning the recent discovery of Count Dooku's involvement in the creation of the Clones. Predictably, they denied everything. I, inevitably, learned the truth anyway. And before you ask, yes, I have seen to it that the soldiers of Hurricane Squadron have all had their biochips removed."

"You didn't kill anyone this time, did ya?" Kaori asked.

Nazo sighed. "You know that I wouldn't do that to the Kaminoans. To a greedy sleemo like Nute Gunray, yes. But not to the scientists of Kamino, though I do not hold them in very high regard anymore. Even with my ability to extract information, there are still many things concerning this mess that I've yet to uncover."

"Well, wha' have you figured out so far?" Kaori wondered.

"With everything that I have gathered," He replied. "I can tell that this can all be traced back to Dooku's master, Darth Sidious."

 _That name_ , Kaori thought. _I've heard it before. Master Kenobi mentioned something about Dooku claiming that the Senate was under the control of someone by that name._

"So you have figured it out as well, then." Nazo said. Kaori's confusion lasted a mere few seconds before she remembered how skilled her friend was at reading minds.

"Do you think that what Dooku told master Kenobi all those years ago on Geonosis is true?"

"If this is true, then the Republic, and the Jedi, are in grave danger." Nazo said. "But you raise a good point. Why would Dooku so willingly reveal something like that to his enemy? Perhaps he was lying, or perhaps he was relying on Master Kenobi to see it as a lie. Of course, there is still the possibility that he plans to have his master removed from power, in the fashion of the Sith, so he can take control."

"Wha' should we do?" Kaori wondered.

"Unless we can provide solid, irrefutable evidence to the idea that this entire mess can be linked back to the Supreme Chancellor, we can't afford to move against him." Nazo sighed. "And even if we did, neither of us would be able to contend with him if we were to confront him."

"Wha' makes ya say that, luv?" Kaori asked.

"Consider this," Nazo explained. "If he truly is the Sith Lord we've been after since the war started, he has to be extremely powerful. Even I have not been able to see deep enough into his mind to determine anything. If he can hide his presence from even the wisest of the Jedi, he must be extremely dangerous. I admit, you and I would be a challenge, but unless we were to get word to the other Jedi in time, we would quickly die."

Kaori sighed. "We're going to have to tread carefully, then." She said. "I guess I'm headin' back to Kamino with Master Ti soon."

"Actually," Nazo replied. "I hear that Master Ti is going to remain here on Coruscant. I do not know who, but another Jedi is going to supervise the clones on Kamino."

"Oh," Kaori replied. "Then I guess I'm stayin' 'ere. Wha' about you?"

"I'm not sure." Nazo answered. "I've been told that there is a conflict on Mandalore that could escalate into full scale civil-war. Perhaps I will investigate that."

"Well, wha'ever you end up doing, may the Force be with you, my friend." Kaori said.

"And with you as well, Kaori." He replied.

 **A/N: Okay, this chapter was a bit rushed. But I'm bored. With College breathing down my back, I have less time to myself. And whenever I do catch a break, I'm out of ideas for putting together a substantial chapter. Note that in this story as well as Altered Destinies (minus chapter 18) and Fates Rewritten, I've worked towards producing chapters that are at least 1000 words long. It might not seem like much of a challenge for most Fanfiction writers, but for someone like me, it can be hard at times to find enough material to go that far. Of course, my record so far is just under 7000 words for Chapter 11 of Fates Rewritten.**

 **Props to Starwarshobbitfics for guessing that Cody was a mentor to Kaori. Although I'm trying to stay true to Angelblue1852's information, I can't help but have her at least respect some of the clones, such as Rex, Cody, Fives, Echo, etc. After all, she has spent much of the war on Kamino alongside her master, Shaak Ti.**

 **Anyway, Fives is still alive, obviously. And he and Echo do reunite, though if I forgot to include Fives in the Battle of Yavin for Fates Rewritten, then I'm sorry. He was there, though. I just forgot to mention him.**

 **One chapter left. And it concerns Order 66 from Barriss, Kaori, and Nazo's perspectives. I'm probably going to do my best to hold off writing it until I can get Fates Rewritten completed. If not, then it's likely out of boredom, as I have a substantial amount of material left in Fates Rewritten to write. Like I've said before, I need to get through all of Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi first.**

 **Until then, please RRF &F, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.**

 **p.s., I'm also going to begin working on ideas for the follow up story to Fates Rewritten, which will concern the Sequel Trilogy generation of characters, namely Ben Solo, Rey, Finn, and the like. I will probably not begin production until after I have seen The Last Jedi, assuming we get any solid information on Rey's parentage. I still need input on how Ben and Myrcella would consider each other as family. Should I consider Myrcella as his aunt, or his cousin? Please let me know.**


	6. Order 66

**Disclaimer: See Summary.**

 **A/N: Yes, I am aware of what I said about school preventing me from getting anything done. However, I am equally frustrated by the fact that this story, as short as it may have been, has been denied the final chapter for so long. So here it finally is.**

* * *

She was in her quarters, meditating. She had been through so much, from finding out that someone had reprogrammed a prototype training droid to impersonate her, to finding out that it had then carry out such horrendous actions. To make matters worse, the fake had killed an innocent, framed her best friend, and almost got her killed as well. Even though Anakin had apprehended the imposter, the damage had been done. Ahsoka left the order, and Barriss was stuck. It just didn't seem right.

Her thoughts were interupted when someone entered her tent. It was Kaori. "Hey, luv. Wha's wrong?"

"Oh, hello, Kaori." Barriss replied, forlorn. "Nothing's wrong."

"So the fact that you were kidnapped, imprisoned, impersonated, blamed for crimes you never committed, then supposedly pinning the blame on your best friend doesn't hurt you anymore?" Kaori asked.

Barriss didn't make eye contact. Kaori sighed. "Sorry, luv. But I can tell you're feelin' upset 'bout all this."

"It's not just that, though." Barriss replied. "It's just that, I still feel responsible for what happened. If only I knew who it was that attacked me, I would have been able to stop them. And on top of that, a lot of people still look at me as if I was the one to sneak the droid into all of this."

Kaori knew about this. A number of people would try to accuse Barriss of staging her own kidnapping in order to throw everyone off the trail. And try as she might, Kaori couldn't ignore how plausible that was. However, Kaori refused to believe that Barriss would actually do anything like that, and it surprised her that Barriss herself wasn't as certain about it.

"Barriss, luv, look at me," She said, cupping her friend's chin in her hands. "You were as much of a victim in this as any of us. If anyone's at fault for anythin', it's Master Windu for playin' everythin' off as Ahsoka's "Big Trial". Stubborn as an Ox, he is."

"You're right, Kaori." Barriss said after a breath. "But still, the fact remains that I feel like I could have done something to prevent this."

"Maybe, maybe not." Kaori sighed. "Thing is, luv, we can't go back in time and rewrite history. An' if you think you're takin' this hard, you should 'ear wha' Anakin had to go through. Poor chap wouldn't eat for a week straight, he was so down."

Barriss' eyes widened. "Seriously?" She asked, receiving a nod from her friend. "And did anyone try to cheer him up?"

"Me obviously," Kaori replied. "Surprisingly, Nazo tried to 'elp too. But I think the only one who eventually got through to 'I'm enough to get him back into the fight was Senator Amidala."

"I can only imagine how she did it." Barriss deadpanned. It was no secret among the "Unbreakable Four", that Anakin was more than just a close acquaintance of the Naboo Senator. In reality, the four of them, along with Ahsoka, knew the truth, though they suspected that Obi-Wan was on to them.

Kaori maintained her composure for a solid ten seconds, then burst out laughing. Fortunately, not a lot of troopers were within earshot. Kaori felt her laughter get a tiny bit out of hand, and then she did the one thing that she knew could destroy a woman's dignity: She snorted like a pig.

"Well, well, aren't you a little pig." Barriss snickered, earning more embarrassing laughter from her fellow Jedi. "Not very lady-like, you know."

"Screw being a lady." Kaori sputtered, as she struggled to get herself under control. "I'm alone in a tent with my sister an' no one else can 'ear us."

Barriss caught on to something. "Did...did you just call me your sister, Kaori?"

"Course I did, luv." Kaori replied, as if she was surprised that Barriss didn't already know this. "We've known each other since we were just kids, B. You can't expect two young women like us to 'ave known each other and practically grow up together that long an' not see each other as sisters..." She developed a mischievous look and added, "Unless you see me as something else."

Barriss blushed, then pushed Kaori with a playful brush to the shoulder, as the four of them - meaning the two of them, as well as Anakin, Nazo, and formerly Nadhar - were known to do around each other.

Kaori sighed as they returned their attention back to the original topic. "Look, luv." Kaori sighed. "Ahsoka might not be a Jedi anymore, but she's still going strong. Last I 'eard, she's busy 'elpin' to fight a civil war on Mandalore. Somethin' 'bout Maul."

"The Zabrak that Master Kenobi mentioned?" Barriss asked, surprised.

"The same, luv." Kaori replied. "'pparently he's been busy tryna take over the planet, and Mandalorian natives want him out. Bo-Katan, I think her name was. She wanted Obi-Wan to help her, but since he's been preoccupied with th' war an' all, she sought out Ahsoka instead."

"You think she can handle someone who's essentially returned from the dead?" Barriss asked, nervously.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Kaori shrugged. "Then again, unlike that rusty old junka, Grievous, Maul's a former Sith."

After a moment where neither of them spoke, Barriss sighed. "Thanks for helping me out, Kaori."

"Anytime, luv." Kaori replied, in that bubbly Corellian accent that seemed to cheer people up.

It was at that point that Kaori's second-in-command, a human male referred to as Commander Storm, came in.

"Miss Galium, Knight Offee, you're needed outside."

I wonder what the others are up to, Kaori wondered, as she and Barriss trudged towards the sentry point. What surprised them was the fact that the fields that just the previous day had been crawling with Droids, were now completely barren.

"How odd," She thought out loud. "An' you said they just retreated?"

"Affirmative, Lady Galium." Storm replied. Kaori couldn't help but worry about what this might mean.

She suddenly groaned, clutching at her head as her too associates tried to call her name. But all that was around her was wiped from her mind as she was instead greeted with horrifying visions. Visions of Jedi across the Galaxy being cut down.

Ki-Adi-Mundi was facing droids on Mygeeto, and called to his men to follow him. She saw as he ran out, unaware for a second that his men had stopped running, and were now raising their weapons on him. He turned around in time to see them open fire. He quickly raised his own saber, blocking a few shots, and even taking out one or two of the turncoat soldiers before the first few shots broke through, and the rest was inevitable.

She saw the swampy world of Kashyyyk, were Barriss' own master, Luminara Unduli, was fighting alongside Quinlan Vos, his fiancé Ventress, and Grand Master Yoda. The Clones at Luminara's side suddenly aimed at her, catching her by surprise. However, they did not kill her, but rather, they took her prisoner.

Elsewhere on the planet, the clones fighting alongside Vos and Ventress received the order, but before they could take them down, the Wookies reacted, stalling the troopers and allowing the two force sensitives to flee into the jungles.

The troops approaching Master Yoda, however, had the least amount of luck. They didn't even have time to ready their blasters before the diminutive Jedi Master leapt up and decapitated them.

On Utupau, members of the 212th received the order, and opened fire on Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was still scaling the walls of the pit atop his dragon ride. The poor creature was hit, and both rider and dragon plummeted, supposedly to their death. Kaori even witnessed as Cody, the Clone trooper she had been taught by, lowered his head in defeat, even as he watched some of his brothers seem ready to celebrate the death of the Jedi they had just moments ago been trying to support.

Finally, she regained a sense of where she was, and turned to Barriss, who looked equally fearful. "So it has begun." She stated grimly, having been especially hurt from sensing the fate of her former Master. They were pulled from their thoughts by the approach of the troops.

Barriss reached for her lightsaber. "Commander," one of the troopers said, though she sensed unease in his voice. "We have just received the orders to kill you." The Mirialan Jedi prepared to fight, but Kaori stopped her. "But that doesn't mean we plan on listening." The clone added.

"We will have to leave, now." Kaori said. "Troopers, can you help us escape?"

As the clones prepared for the two Jedi to escape, Barriss turned to her friend and asked, "Where are we going to go?"

"I don't know why," Kaori said. "But I feel that we are going to be needed on Polis Massa."

* * *

As he strode through the carnage he and his troops had just caused, he saw some of the men donning cloaks, as a possible way to trap any Jedi that tried to enter the temple. He was upset, for a number of reasons. First, these weren't technically his men. The thing is, the 501st seemed to have vanished just prior to the order to storm the temple. The second problem, was that Anakin was still having trouble coming to grips with what he had just done. Was this truly worth it? Was he really doing the right thing?

He was pulled from his thoughts when he sensed someone nearby. He swiftly approached the door and opened it. Inside, was a youngling. She had short ebony hair, and she looked up at him with a cross between fear and acceptance etched on her face. She seemed to have immediately accepted the fact that she was about to die. Then, something flashed through the newly appointed Sith Apprentice's mind.

He recalled that this had been one of the force sensitive infants he had rescued from Mustafar. He also realized that he hadn't yet activated his blade, in order to strike down the youngling. Then, he suspected that he couldn't.

He bent down to look her right in the eyes. "Do you wish to stay alive, child?" He asked her. She, for whatever reason, gave him a simple nod. Perhaps she was under too much emotional stress to speak at the moment.

He sighed, wondering what exactly was driving his decisions, but accepting what he was going with anyway. He stood up, and gave her a stern glare. "Stay here, young one." He instructed. "I will return to take you in later. Understand?" She nodded again, and he sighed as he closed the door.

"What are your orders, sir?" One of the clones asked.

"The child in there is to be kept safe until I can return." Anakin instructed. "Under no circumstances is she to be harmed. In fact, see to it that she is in good health while I take care of some other business."

The soldier saluted and gathered the nearest men to assist in tending to the youngling. He wasn't sure why he had killed so many others, and yet had spared her, but something convinced him not to change his mind.

* * *

At last, a chance to face a worthy opponent. Nazo had arrived shortly before Anakin and Obi-Wan were called back to Coruscant. He, Captain Rex, and Ahsoka Tano had led the troops to rally with the Mandalorians. Rex was off with the other Clones, while Nazo assisted the former Padawan in facing Maul himself. In the meantime, they had caught up a bit.

Then everything went south. Halfway through the battle, the two of them were separated. Nazo took off after Maul, determined to finish him off. Ahsoka was about to follow, when Rex cut in warning her that the other clones had just received an order to kill the Jedi. Ahsoka, although reluctantly, sought to meet up with Rex so that they could escape. Nazo, for his part, kept up the fight against Maul. The two clashed sporadically as they attempted to navigate through the madness going on around them.

Maul eventually tried to flatten his pursuer by bringing a large pillar down on top of him. Nazo was not killed, but Maul was able to get away.

"Coward!" Nazo shouted. "Come back here and face me!"

"Perhaps I will," Maul sneered. "But not today, Jedi. Oh, and send Lady Tano my regards, if either of you survive, that is."

At first, Nazo was unsure of what he meant. Then a group of Clones arrived. "You're just in time, troops." Nazo breathed. "He's getting away. We need to stop him before he leaves the planet."

Without speaking a word, the clones leveled their weapons not at the fleeing Maul, but rather, straight at Nazo. Instincts kicked in, and Nazo effortlessly blocked the barrage of attacks being sent his way, in spite of his incredible fatigue.

Even when a few shots got through, he managed to stay on his feet. He didn't know what it was, but something began to fill him with newfound strength, just like on Geonosis and on Umbara. He continued to deflect the oncoming blaster bolts, but strode forward, using the same technique he had used so skillfully against the Geonosians and the Umbarans, among others. The treacherous clones began to collapse, and Nazo simply strode past them. He continued to deflect the shots from the other clones who were still firing at him. Then he remembered that Ahsoka could be in trouble.

He quickened his pace, hoping she had survived. What he didn't notice was the Mandalorian, loyal to Maul, who fired a missile straight at him. A combination of fatigue, and focus on helping Ahsoka, blinded him to the missile until it was too late.

* * *

Later, within the medical center on Polis Massa, Barriss Offee approached the two Jedi masters.

"She will survive." She said, relieved. "But she will certainly need to rest for now."

Obi-Wan ran his fingers through his beard, as he was known to do, and considered something. "We will need to keep the children separate for their own safety." He said. "I will take the boy to his Aunt and Uncle, on Tatooine."

"And what of the girl, Leia?" Barriss asked.

"I will take care of her," Bail answered. "My wife and I have always wanted a child."

"Knight Offee," Master Yoda spoke up, as Obi-Wan and Bail went in to speak with Padmé. "Heard anything, have you, of other Jedi survivors?"

"Yes," Barriss replied. "Apart from us, Kaori, Ahsoka, and Master Kenobi, I believe Master Vos and Asajj Ventress survived. Also, I sense that Masters Ti, Fisto, Koon, Secura and Allie are alive as well."

"Mm," Yoda contemplated. "Remain hidden, they must, if to survive, the Jedi Order is."

"So where will you be going, Master?" Barriss asked.

"Deep into exile, I must go." Yoda answered solemnly. "Sorry, I am, but reveal the planet, I should not."

"I understand, Master." Barriss replied. The two of them entered the chamber where Padmé and the others were.

"I'm sorry it must be like this," Obi-Wan sighed. "But it is for their own safety."

"I know," Padmé replied, sadly. "Just as long as they know about each other, and about me."

"Of course," Bail replied. Then, he turned to Barriss. "I believe you could be of some help to our cause, miss Offee."

"Me?" Barriss replied.

"Yes." Bail answered. "You could provide us with medical support, and we will need it for the rebellion, after all."

"Rebellion?" Barriss repeated. "What do you mean?"

"We are going to begin working on organizing a rebellion against the Empire." Bail explained. "For now, we're going to have informants scattered throughout the Galaxy, keeping watch for anyone standing against the Empire. Ahsoka Tano has already agreed to serve as one of these informants."

"I see." Barriss sighed. "Well, I guess you can count me in."

"Wha's this I 'ear about a rebellion?" Kaori chimed in, intrigued. "If there's a rebellion brewin' already, then sign me up! I'll start organizing my troops from the war into rebels. No doubt they want to fight as much as we do."

As the different groups began to depart, Barriss turned to Obi-Wan and asked, "Does Ahsoka know about...Anakin?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Obi-Wan replied, somberly. "She is convinced he was one of the casualties when the Temple was attacked."

"After the twins were born," Barriss said. "Padmé kept saying that she still saw the light in him. Do you think she could be right?"

"I do not know, Barriss." Obi-Wan sighed. "We can only hope now."

"And we could use all the hope we can get." Barriss added. "I just received a transmission from Aayla Secura. She says she needs to get in touch with Senator Organa, and he wants me to find her."

"May the Force be with you, young one." Obi-Wan said.

"And with you as well, Master Kenobi." She replied.

* * *

It had been a big struggle. With more troops coming in to help absorb the already crippled and divided planet into the Empire, things were beginning to take a turn for the better. A small group of Imperial troops discovered the body of the Jedi known as Nazo Malfoy. They were busying themselves by preparing to dispose of the body.

What they didn't notice was the dark chill that snaked through the rubble, seeking out the nearly dead Jedi. It absorbed into him, merging with his soul. As the small group of soldiers set him down for a moment, they didn't see when his eyes, which had once been a brownish green, flashed open with a crimson glare.

In the blink of an eye, the air pressure in the immediate vicinity seemed to drop to almost zero. The men closest to the body gagged, and they collapsed, suffocating. Nazo slowly rose to his feet, a sinister air about him. He glared down at the open wound that indicated where his left arm had been blown off. With barely any effort, he glared at where his arm had once been. Although it was not seen by the troopers nearby, he saw an amorphous cloud of darkness grow out of the wound. It spread outwards, then slowly taking on the shape of his arm, before finally morphing completely into a new arm.

He then reached out with the Force, draining the nearest soldiers of their very life essence. With every body that dropped, his strength returned, and his movements became less pained. Having replenished enough of his strength, he began sending hapless troops flailing at deadly speeds as he sought out a ship.

He smiled. "So, perhaps you were right about one thing." He said, though the individual to whom he was speaking was nowhere to be seen. "This power is truly worth the risks. It's a shame I had to die in order to realize that."

The dark entity that had brought him back smiled within the confines of Nazo's mind. " ** _I'm glad you finally see reason. How fortunate that we also happen to share a similar goal: The destruction of the Chosen One._** "

"So he has fallen, as you predicted." Nazo said.

The darkness within him replied, " ** _Yes. And I believe he once was aware of this fact. A shame he did not retain those memories. But consider this, my friend. Now you have your soul back, and I can carry out my goals, just as I should have quite some time ago._** "

"Very well," Nazo growled. "Show me the power that you have once had. Show me what I need to know, and I will finish what you started."

 **A/N: And that's that for Uncertain Futures. Forgive me if this chapter seems a bit mediocre compared to the others. I barely had any sleep by the time this chapter was being developed, and it's messing with my head. I intend to fix that soon.**

 **Anyway, I know it might still be a bit vague as to how Nazo becomes the Stalker, but I still intend to stick to my guns and wait until I reach the right part of Fates Rewritten before revealing the last few details of the Stalker/Nazo Malfoy. That is, assuming you haven't already guessed it already.**

 **So, I probably might not get any new chapters up for any of the stories I'm working on for a while, so just sit tight. I am working on a story called "What We Could Have Been". It ties into the Altered Destinies Canon, but with some pretty significant changes. Maybe I'll add the second chapter to that story before I officially go on FanFiction Vacation.**

 **Until then, please RRF &F, and I'll see you all next time. Peace out, and may the Force be with you. Always.**


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